this morning, romney's reversal. >> a candidate bombshell overnight, doing a 180 on his 47% comments. his campaign on the rise, as the president attempts to rebound with new attacks, after wednesday's dismal debates. sticky situation. american airlines, blaming spilled soda for loosening those seats, as they pull more planes out of service. and that means more delays coming today. fire and ice. a new wildfire bearing down on western towns, as snow buries the far north. 14 and welcome to the 1%. $200 million richer. but they still may go back to work.

good morning. i'm reena ninan in for paula faris. >> good morning. i'm rob nelson. with a successful debate performance under his belt, mitt romney is distancing himself from his own words about the 47%. >> in the past, he stood by the comments. but overnight, there was a major change. abc's tahman bradley joins us from washington, with more. tahman? >> reporter: good morning, rob and reena. mitt romney is showing a lot of confidence on the stump. and we'll see if his strong debate performance gives him a boost in the polls. but for now, romney is trying to put to rest a controversy that's dogged him for weeks. with his campaign reenergized after a strong showing in wednesday's debate, mitt romney took on the controversy, surrounding his comments that 47% of americans are dependent on government. shortly after a tape of his comments were released, romney said his remarking were not eloquently stated. but in an interview on fox news, he offered a new explanation. >> it's completely wrong. and i absolutely believe, however, that my life has shown

that i care about 100%. >> reporter: president obama, meanwhile, is trying to rebound from what many believe was a lackluster debate performance. before a crowd of 30,000 in madison, wisconsin, yesterday, the president suggested romney's performance was just an act. >> i met this very spirited fellow who claims to be mitt romney. but i know it couldn't have been mitt romney. because the real mitt romney's been running around the country for the last year, promising $5 trillion in tax cuts that favor the wealthy. >> reporter: obama campaign advisers were even more blunt, accusing romney of being dishonest on the debate stage. but some of the president's supporters and liberal pundits are baffled by what they saw as a passive performance. >> i felt like he should have been more aggressive. >> i don't know what he was doing out there. he had his head down. he was enduring the debate, rather than fighting it. >> reporter: president obama could have new worries today when the monthly job numbers come out. economists predicted the unemployment rate could go from

8.1% to 8.2%. >> critical numbers. tahman bradley live for us. thanks, tahman. and one other campaign note this morning. a film dramatizing the raid that killed osama bin laden will make its debut just two days before the election. the national geographic channel denies there was any political motivation. it says the air date was chosen to kick off the fall season. american airlines is cancelling or delaying dozens of flights today to fix a safety problem with its loose seats. the carrier says it is finally figured out what was causing the problem. here's abc's jim avila. >> reporter: american has grounded half its fleet of 757s, its domestic long-range workhorse, taking out for a second round of faa monitored fixes to prevent passenger seats from becoming dislodged in the air. the airline engineering team decided the locking mechanism that secures the seats to the

floor, must be enhanced. >> we have a unique situation of a track that had become somewhat worn. and it was where some soda spilled down over time and allowed the seats to become dislodged. >> reporter: another setback for american airlines which suffered record delays in september, for what it claims were labor troubles. claiming its pilots intentionally caused delays twice as often as competitors. the seat issue ratcheted up the airline's troubles. the seats on three flights had come unhinged. earlier this week, american said it finished its inspections. but it's ordering mechanics to fix the seats again, wherever the 48 planes involved land next. a move that will cause cancellations and more delays until saturday. sources tell abc news that federal investigators are trying to determine if friendly fire is to blame for the shooting death of a u.s. border patrol agent.

nick loss ivie was killed this week just north of the mexico/arizona border. mexican officials arrested two men as investigators look into whether ivie was shot by a fellow officer. his family is struggling to cope with the loss. >> we've been so preoccupied with the grief of the loss, we really haven't had time to be angry at anything. it is what it is. it won't bring nick back. >> homeland security secretary janet napolitano heads to arizona today to express condolences and meet with investigators. syria has apologized for an artillery strike on a turkish town that killed five people. but escalating fears of a cross-border war have sparked demonstrations in turkey. outside the parliament building, riot police used tear gas and water canons to break up anti-war protesters. firefighters are struggling to contain a wildfire

threatening about a dozen homes in washington state. the fire, which is being fueled by bone-dry conditions quickly scorched 150 acres about 40 miles from seattle. some people in the town of shelton were forced from their homes. officials say no part of that fire is contained just yet. and with that, we take a look at weather from across the country, as we start our holiday weekend here. stormy and chilly around cincinnati, chicago, st. louis and little rock. also, thunderstorms for much of florida. lingering snowshowers in morn minnesota. >> just 47 in the twin cities. 50s for much of the midwest and central plains. 77 in dallas. and 80s from new orleans to new york. 60s from salt lake city to seattle. and when we come back this morning, with all the talk about jobs, we get some all-important numbers later today. then, more coffee, more jobs. starbucks announcing ambitious, new plans. and lights, camera, will you marry me? what might be one of the most intricate wedding proposals ever.

welcome back, everybody. well, from wall street to the campaign trail, the big focus is today's release of the september employment report, the next-to-last one before the election. and it is likely to show more jobs created last month than in august. but not by much. and ahead of the numbers we get another snapshot on jobs. the number of americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits rose slightly for the week. up to 377,000. if you thought mortgage rates couldn't go any lower, think again. rates have tumbled to all-time lows for the second-straight

week, falling as the federal reserve buys bonds to help boost the market. rates on 15-year loans are down to 2.69%. and 30-year mortgages are at a record low of 3.36%. >> time to buy a house. maybe not a car. gas prices are going up across the country. but in california, they're soaring to a shocking level, hovering near the $6 mark. parts of the state are seeing the highest prices in a year. the prices are being blamed on a supply problem. facebook has just announced a landmark moment. the social network says, now, it has more than 1 billion active users who logon every month. that's about one in every seven persons on the planet. facebook has doubled its number of users in just two years. >> wow. zagut is out with new restaurant rates. it's fast food getting reviewed. wendy's is the big winner in this year's survey, which got

responses from 10,000 folks. the other favorites among the megachains are subway, pizza hut, taco bell, and no shocker here, mcdonald's. and starbucks topped the coffee ratings in that same survey. and now, get ready for a venti sized serving of new stores. the goal is to open 1,000 new shops in the u.s. in the next five years. that could mean a total of 20,000 new jobs. i don't know how we get anymore starbucks in new york city. >> it's so early in the morning. when we come back this morning, growing concerns. a new nationwide warning in that meningitis outbreak. and the calendar says october. but don't tell that to a lot of folks who are dealing with the snow.

hd 8.

. it's feeling a lot more like winter than fall in fargo this

morning. temperatures fell as the city got slammed with its earliest snowfall in more than 25 years. an inch and a half of snow came down, accompanied by gusty winds and more than 6,000 people lost power. parts of the northern minnesota fared much worse, with more than a foot of snow. >> old man winter waking up early this year. great. those roads are slick this morning as minnesota gets some lingering snow. it will be a wet commute from little rock to st. louis, chicago and the ohio valley. thunderstorms dampen roads in florida from miami to orlando. >> if you're flying, just a few weather-related airport delays to look out for in miami, detroit and memphis. and now, we turn to that growing meningitis outbreak. federal health investigators are warning doctors that any medicine from a now-closed massachusetts pharmacy should not be used. >> the pharmacy is thought to be the source of contaminated steroids, which caused a rare form of meningitis. abc's steve osunsami has more.

>> reporter: doctors worry this outbreak of fungal meningitis is spreading, potentially affecting more than 1,000 americans recently treated for back pain, with needles that were tainted by a fungus during manufacturing. >> the contaminated medication was a steroid. it was put into a syringe. >> reporter: anyone who has received a steroid injection in the spine since july should check with their doctor to see if it's from the tainted source. >> early anti-fungal treatment can improve the outcome of these patients. >> reporter: ground zero is this specialty pharmacy in massachusetts, where the steroid injections were made. investigators shut down the new england compounding center. but it may have shipped to 23 states. doctors say this is a rare form of meningitis, with symptoms that are easily missed. and it kills by swelling the brain. it is not contagious. but early symptoms can be headaches, fever, a stiff neck. and it can take anywhere from a week to a month to develop. so, health officials are on high alert. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta.

the afternoon rush was just getting under way in downtown san antonio when a school bus plunged from an expressway nearly 20 feet on to doorstep of a hotel below. the bus broke in two when it hit the ground. but emergency responders were stunned to find that two adults and one child onboard suffered relatively minor injuries. in south texas, a judge says for now, the bible can be part of a friday night football field at a high school down there. the school district had ordered cheerleaders to stop displaying banners with biblical verses saying they may be violating a ban on school prayer. but the ban violates their right to free speech. legendary basketball coach pat summitt says she felt forced out at tennessee. summit says she was told by the athletic director she would be replaced by the end of the season. the decision hurt and surprise her. summitt says it comes as an age

and sex discrimination suit by another tennessee employee. the first in the boxing world. a top fighter has announced he is gay. orlando cruz is a featherweight number four in the world. he wants to be a positive role model for kids who look into boxing. week five in the nfl is under way. we get the highlights, now, from espn news. >> welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. the cardinals trying to stay undefeated in st. louis. taking on sam bradford and the rams. break from scrimmage. play-action. goes deep. finds danny amendola, the ridiculous one-handed catch. are you kidding me? great coverage. but not a problem. later in the drive, again. finds lance kendricks for the

score. 7-0, st. louis. second quarter, bradford, looking. goes to amendola. dives, makes the catch. ruled a catch on the field. but later, overturned after the replay. amendola hurt his shoulder. he would leave the game. in the fourth quarter, bradford, throws to chris givens, 51 yards for the touchdown. two touchdowns and a pick. matt barkley and 13th-ranked usc taking on utah. under five minutes left in the first half, barkley. finds robert woods. gets this catch for 69 yards and that touchdown. usc, up by three. fourth quarter. barkley, play-action. and throwing deep to marqise lee. he had 192 yards. and this touchdown right here. 83-yard score. career-long for imhim.

usc wins 38-28. that was your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. have a great day. an iowa insurance attorney got a call from his wife saying they had won a $202 million powerball jackpot, he thought he was being punk'd. >> but he was wrong. and then, they both did what they've been dreaming to do all along. they took immediate leaves of absence from their jobs. they added that they'll be conservative with their money, though their children may have other plans. >> they're going to get a lot more games. but that's important to the 15-year-olds. but just stay grounded. you know, don't change the way we've raised them. >> well, she might go back to work, actually, because she just loves it. but he is still debating. until recently, they were both paying off student loans. so far, they've only decided on one major purchase. a pair of new cars, with plenty of money left over after that.

>> very few people keep their jobs after winning the lottery. >> i'd walk out. coming up next, "the pulse," and a bizarre mystery finally solved. the colorful answer as to why some beekeepers are ending up with blue and green honey. and dueling divas. the nicki minaj/mariah carey feud takes a threatening turn.

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but how are they saving you those dollars? a lot of companies might answer "um" or, "no comment." then there's esurance. born online, raised by technology, and majors in efficiency. so whatever they save, you save. hassle, time, paperwork, hair-tearing-out, and yes, especially dollars. esurance. insurance for the modern world. click or call. welcome back, everybody. time to check "the pulse," this morning, the stories you'll be talking about today. and we begin with the latest on the "american idol" she said/she said debacle, apparently. mariah carey, now claims nicki minaj threatened to shoot her.

she was heard saying, if i had a gun, i would shoot her. and that's just a p.g. version of the game. carey says she's emotionally uncomfortable. but she plans to continue as a judge on the show. >> even after, minaj fired back tweeting, quote, i don't call tmz and barbara walters because i stand on my own two feet. the quote goes on, insecurity is as cruel as the grave. ooh. two divas doing battle on the set. wow. take a look at this, now. beekeepers in eastern france have a very bizarre phenomenon on their hands. >> they say their bees are producing honey in shades of blue and green. they can't sell the stuff. it turns out, instead of snacking on nectar from flowers, the bees have gone gobbling up in the waste containers from a nearby m&m plant. >> who can resist? usually wedding proposals

tend to be more low-key, more personal than the actual wedding. >> unless you're a guy named brad from grand rapids, who turned his proposal to girlfriend, emily, into a full-blown epic, even set to music. ♪ get up get out of my head ♪ ♪ i'm falling into my arms instead ♪ ♪ i don't, i don't don't know what it is ♪ ♪ but i need that one thing >> the cast included almost everyone they ever met. and he popped the question on the beach, complete with fireworks. you can meet them both later on "good morning america." >> low-key. >> low-key, right? >> you had a good proposal, you said. >> on top of cable mountain in capetown. can't beat that. >> nice. for some of you, now, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with some debate analysis, late-night comedian style. [ male announcer ] we all deserve a little reward

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another gas hike in the past few hours prices whoever around $5. >> plus friday is here the focus is on the weekend forecast. meteorologist lisa argen has the latest. fog has returned and cooler temperatures. what about easyowers in nor minnesota. thunderstorms from little rock to the ohio valley. feeling like summer in the northeast. finally from us this morning, there were a few zingers in wednesday night's debate. last night, there were plenty of

them, courtesy of the late-night comics. >> here you go. your "friday funnies." >> he just told the moderator, who works at pbs, i'm going to throw your ass out on the street, old man. you, not only you, but all those free-loading muppets. that takes, not just one ball, but two. two, enormous balls. >> romney could have waterboarded aladdin, put down blue, deported dora the explorer, and won walking away. he won with the sound up. >> you're entitled to your own airplane, and your own house. >> romney won with the sound off. dude, he's yelling at you. look up. what are you looking at? what are you writing that's so important? what are you doing?

oh. that is impressive work. >> the only thing that could have salvaged obama's performance last night, is if the body of bin laden fell from the ceiling on to the stage. >> here's the category. president obama excuses. everybody is saying, today, what was wrong? he was off his game. where did he go? he didn't challenge. he wasn't ready. ill-prepared. not out there. no tiger in the eye. and mitt got, you know, if i didn't know better, you would think he was full of coffee. so, now, president obama, excuses. i called some folks at the white house. say said, all right, here's ten reasons. number nine, romney's hair is mesmerizing. number five, i live with my mother-in-law. what do you want from me? and the number one president obama excuse. it's bush's fault. >> and you have to wonder what "saturday night live" will do this weekend. >> can't wait. looking forward to it. >> that's going to be good. that's what's making news in